Cherry Picker

Cherry Picker, produced in 1963, is an electro-mechanical bingo-style conversion created by R. P. Hillerich, derived from Bally's 1959 'Sea Island' but fitted with an overpainted playfield and backglass along with several modified features (detailed in Jeffrey Lawton's book Bingo Pinball Machines). As a conversion built on established Bally bingo hardware, it reflects a common practice of the era: reworking existing cabinets with new artwork and tweaked features to create ostensibly new titles.

Gameplay on Cherry Picker follows the bingo pinball format inherited from its Sea Island base, with players aiming to complete card combinations as balls are played. Because it's a conversion rather than an original design, its underlying mechanics closely mirror those of Sea Island, while its cosmetic changes and modified features give it a distinct identity from its source machine.

Specific details about Cherry Picker's full history and its rarity today are limited, but as one of the many conversions built on Bally's bingo-era hardware, it represents an interesting corner of pinball history where cabinets were recycled and rebranded by independent operators like Hillerich rather than by the original manufacturer.